[Baram]

I wasn't around at the start of Achaea (what became IRE), I do know how they start games now. Tears of Polaris started with a few months of discussion and then design, everything from the general backstory to the outlines for archetypes (not full skills, but a general list of what each should have) and how combat should work. Once we were happy with that coding on the core pieces started, while refining the design and it was maybe 6 months before anyone other than myself saw the code or the game. So I would say design is a big part of it, as well as what Kylotan has stated in reaching out beyond the known market.